PS4 and Xbox One to be eclipsed by more powerful mobile gaming devices in 2017

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Mobile devices may soon be more powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles according to technology design company ARM. The company that partners with gaming players like Nvidia, Samsung, and Texas Instruments will generate chips on par with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles by the end of 2017.

"If you take today's high-end smartphone or tablet, the performance is already better than Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It's catching up quickly with Xbox One and PlayStation 4," said ARM ecosystem director Nizar Romdan.

Romdan's comments indicate that smartphones and tablets will soon be capable of running the same games (graphically) that run on gaming consoles as Sony Play Stations and Microsoft XBoxes. This, of course, does not cater to games that are heavily dependent on gaming controls.

Such mobile chips, which aim to level themselves with gaming console ones, could also power the software for mobile virtual reality. Tech adviser Digi-Capital predicts mobile VR gaming alone will generate $15bn (£10.47) by 2020.

"Our view is that mobile VR is the use case that could unlock the potential of mobile for hardcore gamers. For once, mobile devices are on par with PC and consoles in terms of experience. We won't have the same processing. And battery life is a problem. But it is the same user experience. That could be a game changer for mobile gaming," said Romdan.

Many smartphone players have in the past introduced models aimed solely at gaming lovers. However, even though graphically the games have been able to match the resolutions offered by gaming console versions, most of these phones slow down or hang due to laggard processors or drained battery life.